Packing and display containers



Sept. 30, 1958 v. R. PANTALONE PACKING AND DISPLAY CONTAINERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 9, 1956 INVENTOK V/A/CEA/T 1?. P4/V7 4L0/VE A ATTORNEYS Sept, 30, 1958 v. R. PANTALONE 2,854,135

PACKING AND DISPLAY CONTAINERS Filed Aug. 9, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F E- n 42 I INVENTOR V/NC'A/T R. PAIW'ALONE B) I I we ia-9:442

ATTORNE y:

United States Patent PACKING AND DISPLAY CONTAINERS Vincent R. Pantalone, Hamden, 'Conn., assignor to Federal Paper Board Company, Inc., Bogota, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 9, 1956, SerialNo. 603,140

3 Claims. v(Cl. 206- 79) This invention relates to packing and display containers and it relates more particularly to a container or box made of a single sheet of relatively stiff yet flexible material which will support articles to be packaged therein so that they are firmly held and may be readily viewed without opening the box.

An important object of the invention is to provide a box which permits the article or articles held therein to be in full view but which nevertheless locks the articles in the box so that they will not fall out and cannot be readily tampered with while on display in a store.

Another object of the invention is to provide a box which is simple to assemble and allows the articles to be snapped into place where they are supported against breakage during shipping.

These and other objects of the invention, as well as novel features and advantages, will become further apparent from the description hereinafter.

A container embodying the invention in its most advantageous form comprises a single sheet of relatively stiff flexible material divided into panels joined or hinged together along fold lines. A back panel has hinged thereto a pair of spaced horizontal end panels, which may, for example, form the top and bottom walls of the container. The top end panel is desirably glued to the back panel by means of a conventional glue flap, and the distance between the end panels is determined by the height of the article, such as a bottle or can of a liquid product or a lipstick container, for which the box is intended, so that when the article is in place, itnearly engages the inner surfaces of 'both end panels simultaneously, thereby preventing movement of the article lengthwise. A front panel has a pair of flaps cut out of it, these flaps being arranged to hinge inwardly forming supporting members for the article to be suspended within the container and at the same time providing a window in said front panel so that most of the article is exposed to view. .Each of the flaps thus formed from the front panel is provided with an aperture shaped to fit fairly loosely around the adjacent end of the article when in position so as to suspend the article against movement laterally. One of the flaps is adapted and arranged to fold flush against the adjacent end flap so that the article can be inserted and removed from the container without damaging the box. The other flap is made longer than the adjacent end panel and, therefore, engages the back panel when it is folded inwardly preventing it from lying flush against the end panel. This provides a relatively rigid support for one end of the article, while the other end is held by means of the other flap which, due to the natural resiliency of the material when bent along a fold line, snaps over the end of the article when it is aligned with the aperture in the flap.

One particularly desirable embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a front view in elevation of the container with an article positioned therein;

Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation of the same;

' a back panel 10, bottom end panel 12, front panel 14 and a top end panel 16. A display panel 18, bent at right angles to and extending vertically from the back edge of top panel 16, is provided in this particular instance. Fold lines 20, 22, 24, and 26 divide these panels as may be seen in Fig. 4, and an extension 10' on the upper edge of back panel 10 forms aglue flap which is secured during manufacture of the box to the lower rear marginal portion of display panel 18.

Side slits 28 (Fig. 4) are cut in a longitudinal direction in front panel 14, and a cross slit 30 is cut in a direction perpendicular to the sides of panel 14, the slits 28 and 30 forming two flaps 32 and 34 hinged to the box at their opposite ends. Flap 32 is in this instance hinged to the front panel 14 along the fold line 24, while flap 34 is hinged along a fold line 36 parallel to and spaced from fold line 22 at the opposite end of front panel 14. Apertures 38 and 40 are cut in flaps 32 and 34, respectively, and are adapted to fit relatively loosely over the opposite ends of an article P to be packaged. Since the article specifically shown, which may be a jar of cosmetic or other product, is of a plain elongated cylindrical shape, the apertures 38, 40 are of course 'circles of the same size. However, it will be readily understood that such apertures can be made in any desired shape to fit the contour of the article to be packaged and one aperture may be different from the other where one end of the article is of a different size and/ or shape from the other.

As may be best seen in Fig. 2, flaps 32 and '34 are folded inwardly of the container, and the jar P, which fits through apertures 38, 40, is held within the container by said flaps. The jar P is not permitted to move longitudinally due to the fact that it just fits between the top and bottom panels 16 and 12, respectively, of the box.

With flaps 32 and 34 folded inwardly to receive the jar P, the front panel 14 of the box is provided with a window 41 (Fig. 1) in the area'vacated by the flaps. This makes it possible to see substantially all the jar P within the box without having to remove a cover or provide a cellophanewindow to retain the article in the box. While the sides of window 41 are smoothly curved outwardly as shown in Fig. 1, they can be cut in almost any desired shape to enhance the display of the product. Thus, if the bottle or can in which the product is furnished is of a fanciful shape, the slits 28 which form the sides of window 41 can, if desired, be cut to correspond with the shape of bottle.

In order to support and lock the product firmly within the container, yet make it possible to insert and to withdraw it from the container, it is important that the longitudinal dimensions of the flaps 32 and 34 be properly chosen. The flap 32, for example, can be no longer than the depth of the top end panel 16, so that it can be folded flush with the panel 16 when the jar P is being inserted or removed from the container, as shown in Fig. 3. Moreover, in order to help support the jar and keep the walls of the box upright, it is essential that the length of the lower flap 34 be greater than the depth of the bottom end panel 12 so that when flap 34 is held back by the jar P it engages the back panel .10 of the box. If desired, flap 34 may be provided with a tab along the edge which engages the back panel so that such tab can be fitted through a slot in the back panel 10 in order to secure it more firmly in place.

flap 32 to fold flush with the panel 16 is that its hinge line be in the same plane as the top panel 16. The hinge for this flap cannot, therefore, be located on the front panel 14 spaced from the front corner of the boygas in the case of thelower flap 34. On the other handfif the depth of the box with respect to its height: i such that it is necessary to make the lower flap 34 st) long that little space is left on the front panel 14 for the upper-flap, the upper flap 32 may, undercertain circumstances, be cut partially from the front panel 14 and partially from the top panel 16, in order to give its adequate length. In this event, the hinge line for the upper flap would not of course be at the top front corner of the box as shown in the drawings but would be located in the top panel 16 spaced rearwardly of the front panel.

As may be readily observed, the box is primarily a tubular construction of rectangular cross-section and is especially suited for manufacture in the usual box-making machinery which is capable of producing boxes at an extremely rapid rate. The box is shipped to the customer flat, being folded back on itself, in this instance, along the fold line 22 with the flap glued to the back of panel 18. In the specific illustration shown in the drawings, a pair of backing panels 42 are hinged to the back panel 10 along fold lines 44, 46 on opposite sides thereof. These extend outwardly from either side of the flat container when it is shipped and, when the box is set up, are folded inwardly through 180 along their fold lines 44, 46 overlapping the inner side of back panel 10 with their edges 48, 50 meeting at the center of the back panel. In order for the panels 42 to fold in this manner, it is of course necessary that they be no deeper than the depth of the box so that they can pass through the open ends of the box when it is set up.

Although panels 42 are not essential, they may be provided in certain instances to strengthen the container by providing it with greater rigidity along the back wall when it may be needed. Moreover, if the paper-board that is used is finished on one side only, as for instance on the top side of the blank. as shown in Fig. 4, panels 42 will provide the box on its inside with a finished back wall instead of exposing the rough side of panel 10 which faces forward and may be seen through the viewing window 41 when the box is set up. If it is desired to close in the sides of the box, this can be readily done by simply providing the blank with the usual tuck-in end flaps at the opposite edges of front panel 14 and top and bottom panels 16 and 12, as will bereadily understood in the art.

In setting up the box, all that isnecessary to do is to fold the top and bottom panels 16 and 12 out at right angles to the back wall 10. If the panels 42 are provided, these are then folded inside the box as described. The bottom of jar P is then inserted through the aperture 40 in the lower flap 34 and rested against the bottom of the box as shown in Fig. 3. The top of the jar is then simply pressed inwardly against the flap 32, folding this flap up flush against the top of the box. As the top of the jar is moved further in, the bottom pivots within the aperture in the lower flap 34, pressing this member against the back panel 10 or against panels 42, as the case may be. When the jar is upright, the upper flap 32 snaps down over the upper end of the jar as shown in Fig. 2, locking it in place. the box only by forcing the upper flap 32 upwardly again so that it will release the top of the jar, permitting it to be tilted out of the box.

purposes, holds only one article, it is readily feasible to design the container to hold two or more articles by simply increasing the width of the box and the flaps in The jar can then be removed from the front panel and by providing each flap with additional apertures within which the articles may be inserted. It is likewise possible to use this invention in combination with other box structures where only a portion of the box is occupied by the article held by the flaps, the rest of the box being used in an entirely different manner. For instance, if it is desired to package and display a bottle of aftershave lotion and a jar of shaving cream in a single box, the bottle of lotion can be displayed in one half of the box, using the means for mounting it according to the present invention. The jar of cream, on the other hand, can be mounted in the other half of the box in a conventional manner.

What is claimed is: A

1. A one-piece packing and display container of relatively stifi bendable material comprising a back panel, spaced horizontal end panels hinged to said back panel, said end panels being spaced apart a distance approximately equal to the length of an article to be packaged,,

and a front panel hinged to said end panels, said front panel having slits forming a pair of flaps hinged so as to swing away from each other, each flap having an aperture to fit one end of an article to be packaged and each fitting relatively snugly all around the article so as to positively support an adjacent end thereof in spaced relation with said front and back panels when said article is positioned in said container with its ends substantially abutting said end panels, one of said flaps being hinged to one of said end panels and of a length no greater than the distance from its hinge line to said back panel so that said one flap may be folded inwardly flush against the adjacent end panel when the article is being inserted or removed from the container, the other flap being hinged adjacent the other end panel and of a length greater than the distance from its hinge line to said back panel so that the free edge of said other flap engages said back panel when said other flap is bent inwardly, said flaps receiving the article within their apertures and releasably locking it in said container.

2. A one-piece packing and display container of relatively stifi bendable material comprising a tubular body having a back panel, top and bottom panels and a front panel, the distance between said top and bottom panels being approximately equal to the height of an article to be packaged, said front panel having slits forming within its margins a pair of flaps hinged so as to swing away from each other and having apertures to fit the ends of the article to be packaged, each of said flaps fitting relatively snugly all around the article so as to, positively. support an adjacent end thereof in spaced relation with said front and back panels when said article is positioned insaid container with its ends substantially abutting said top and bottom panels, one of said flaps being hinged along the intersection between said front panel and said top panel, said one flap'being no longer than the depth of said top panel so that it may be folded inwardly flush against said top panel when the article is being inserted or removed from the container, the other flap being hinged inwardly adjacent the bottom panel, said other flap being longer than the depth of said bottom panel so that the free edge of said other flap engages said back panel when said other flap is bent inwardly, said flaps receiving the article in their apertures and releasably locking it in said container. 7 i

3. A container as defined in claim 2 wherein said other flap is hinged to said front panel along a line parallel to and spaced from the intersection between said front panel and said bottom panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

